Familiar Stranger
by njdevin529
Summary: His eyes closed for a second, and when they opened they were warmer than before. He didn't touch her, but when he spoke, he sounded like her older brother again. "You are a vampire hunter, Yuki. They are beasts in human form. It's your duty to hunt them, to protect the innocent. Our mother and father died for this. It's a legacy they left for us."


_Hello! So, I know it's been a while. My schedule is so hectic that working on more than one project at a time is just impossible. I've had this idea in my head for a few months I'd say, and I finally got around to writing it. I watched Vampire Knight, and it definitely ranks in one of my top 5 favorite animes_

 _Then I got this idea where Zero and Yuki are sibling vampire hunters. I know, I love them as a couple but I think their friendship is beautiful, and their sibling bond would be just as amazing. They have that sort of chemistry. So anyway, enjoy! It's kind of rough because I rushed through it, but I still worked hard on it and I love it! Please read and review! Bye_

2/21/18

Familiar Stranger

His eyes pulsed a crimson red. It was the only thing that gave away the fact that he wasn't human. That—and his obvious beauty. His skin was alabaster white, and his dark, silky hair fell over his eyes and onto his shoulders. What was most intimidating of all was his height. He towered over her in his long black overcoat. Her hands tightened around Artemis until her knuckles turned white, and still, she was unable to move her eyes from his penetrating stare. His irises pulsed: red, then burgundy, red, burgundy. Finally, they settled into the vivid reddish-brown, twin orbs of vibrant maroon that left her feeling like she was swimming in their violet, red sea.

The corners of his eyes crinkled as he smiled at her. His teeth were pearly white, and at the edges of his mouth she glimpsed his fangs peeking at her from underneath ruby-red lips. Her heart skipped a beat. She was a hunter. She preyed on these creatures, reveled in the hunt; and in the final moments, when she used her Artemis, she watched in satisfaction as the vile beast dissipated into a pile of ash at her feet. In all her years, she'd never hesitated. Yet, something about him seemed familiar, inviting. Suddenly, Artemis felt too heavy. Her arms grew numb and threatened to fall limp at her sides. Her lips parted, just slightly, and when he extended a hand to her. She stared at his whiter-than-snow open palm. The idea that the skin would be smoother than silk was almost enough for her to extend her arm.

"Yuki!? She gasped at the sound of her brother screaming her name. She turned to see him standing a few yards away, with Bloody Rose pointed just over her left shoulder. "No, Zero!" She found herself yelling, throwing her arms out to the side, shielding the man from the Bloody Rose. Zero's lavender eyes—usually so soft, but now hard as steel—flicked briefly to her, before returning to his target. He blinked, and a look of absurd disbelief plastered itself across his face. Yuki frowned, her delicate eyebrows lowering over her eyes as she turned, shocked to find the dark figure had vanished. The wind blew, tugging her short-cropped hair over her eyes. She ignored the wispy tendrils, scanning the alleyway for any sign of the vampire. Her gaze went over every brick in the walls, every crack in the sidewalk, like any one could be serving as his hiding place. She felt Zero come to stand beside her, Bloody Rose still clenched in his right hand.

"He's gone," was all he said before slipping the gun into his inside jacket pocket. He turned to walk away, and Yuki put her hand out to stop him, but drew back before her fingers could graze Zero's jacket. He spoke, without turning around. "What happened, Yuki?"

Her mouth moved, but no words formed.

"Why did you try to stop me?!" He turned an icy-cold glare at her and she felt it to her bones.

"I—I don't know," she stammered. "He didn't look dangerous, Zero."

He turned on her then, spinning around and leaning close to her face. "What are you saying?" he asked, befuddled. "They're all dangerous, Yuki. It's our duty to hunt them. They're too dangerous to be kept alive."

"We don't know that." Yuki paused. The expression on Zero's face made her chest throb with heartache, but, deep down, something else was fluttering to life. She couldn't explain it, but it both troubled and invigorated her. "We strike so fast, Zero." She peered at his face, trying to convey the conflict raging inside her. "We never stop to consider."

"Consider what?" he sneered. Zero looked at her with disgust in his eyes and it made her want to cry. "Mother and father…they died for this. You're disgracing their memory."

She returned his tone with an equally fervent one of her own. "Don't lecture me about mother and father. I loved them just as much as you did!"

"You don't act like it. I saw you with that beast."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

Zero walked forward until he was less than a foot away, glaring down at her. Yuki narrowed her eyes, feet nailed to the ground. She refused to back down; though, she had to tilt her head back to level her gaze with her brother's. She almost lost her nerve by the betrayed look in his eyes.

"You let your guard down," he said, slowly, "you lowered your weapon." He paused before adding the last part, like it cost him something to say it. "You defended it." Zero shook his head, looking away from her; she couldn't speak. She heard the accusatory tone in his voice, but she couldn't refute it, couldn't explain her actions. She'd killed hundreds of vampires, turned them all to dust. But it was like this one had put her under a spell, she couldn't find the desire to kill it.

Zero was still standing in front of her, waiting for her to say something. But how could she explain to Zero what she didn't even understand herself? In her heart, she couldn't find it to be wrong. But it scared her how helpless those eyes had rendered her. Her lower lip quivered, and she felt her tears sting behind her eyes. Zero's expression softened, turned back to his usual placid look and he stepped back. His eyes closed for a second, and when they opened they were warmer than before. He didn't touch her, but when he spoke, he sounded like her older brother again. "You are a vampire hunter, Yuki. They are beasts in human form. It's your duty to hunt them, to protect the innocent. Our mother and father died for this. It's a legacy they left for us."

Yuki managed to keep her tears in, but she didn't say a word. She looked away and tucked Artemis into the straps around her left leg. "Come on, Yuki." Zero had started to make his way home. Without another word, she followed.

Zero had gone to bed some time ago, but Yuki had a hard time falling asleep. Her sea-green nightgown flowed around her ankles as she walked back to her room, sipping from her glass of water. When she made it to her bedroom door, she paused with her hand halfway to the door handle. An eerie sensation fell over her and she suddenly felt outside of her body. The edges of her vision went hazy, caving in towards the center, and she lost all sense of clarity. She vaguely noticed the symbol etched into the brass door knob—the hunter's symbol. Zero carried it on his neck, Yuki carried hers on the inside of her left wrist. She felt it pulsate as her fingers closed around the handle, with a gentle twist and a soft push, the door swung open.

A gust of wind blew in her face and she shut her eyes bracing herself—for what, she didn't know. The wind died and all was still; she opened her eyes, and the glass fell from her hand. It hit the floor, shattering at her feet, but she didn't move. She was rooted to the spot, just as she'd been before in his presence.

He was standing by the window. The glass doors were mysteriously closed, and she briefly wondered what had caused the gust of wind a moment ago. The surreal figure in front of her raised his hand, in the same fashion as before, beckoning her forward. As if in a trance, she felt herself moving toward him, and without her consent, her hand found his. The feeling of his fingers encircling her dainty hand was akin to being engulfed in rose petals. His skin, though she had expected it to be cold, was warm to her touch, and she felt it reach all the way from her hands, up her arm, past her throat, to her cheeks, which she felt reddening from the blush.

He gave her wrist a slight tug, pulling her toward the bed. They sat amid the rumpled sheets, and she gazed into his eyes. He still held her wrist, but he lifted his other hand and stroked her hair, then her cheek. She closed her eyes against the sensation. Every brush of his fingertips was like and electric shock against her skin, not unpleasant. Every nerve ending came alive and her lips stretched into a contented smile. Her eyes opened, however, when she felt his fingers drift to her neck, just over her pulse. Her lips parted to tell him to stop, but no sound came out, and he continued to graze her soft skin with his fingertips.

She should have been stopping this, but she couldn't find the words to do so. Couldn't move her arm to reach for her weapon. She simply stared at him through entranced eyes. His finger retraced its earlier path and traveled over her neck again. He watched his finger; staring so intensely, like he was battling a conflict within himself. Yuki felt a trickle of fear when his eyes began to flash between their usual color and the crimson red, like before. They pulsed once, twice, three times, before settling into their normal shades of violet and burgundy. His hand fell from her neck, but her wrist was still held firmly in his grasp.

Now, with the same finger as before, he traced the hunter's crest on her wrist. Diligently going over each line, tracing every curve. His nail scraped her skin as his finger glided over the mark and she flinched, his touch like an open flame on her bare skin. He noticed immediately, and—eyes on hers—brought her wrist up to his mouth. He kissed her skin, and she couldn't stop her intake of breath. His lips were like velvet. His kisses soft, brief; but relentless, consuming. She found herself closing her eyes again, swaying to the beat of her own heart, nearly lulled by the sound of his mouth meeting her wrist over and over. Suddenly, he stopped, and before she could open her eyes, she felt a sharp pain radiate from the mark, the feeling permeated through her veins, up her arm.

She looked down. The man had sunk his fangs into her flesh and he was slowly, deeply, drinking her blood. She wanted to scream, fight, yell for Zero, but something held her back. Some unconquerable, unexplainable force numbed her lips and turned her body limp. Her fingers began to tingle, and warmth spread from her hand throughout her whole body. Her other hand flew to his hair, but instead of trying to push him away her fingers twisted in his dark locks. The fingers of her left hand curled to rest on his cheek. She found herself leaning forward and touching her head to his. She breathed in and out, utterly serene in this moment. She felt the weight of his hand on the back of her head. His fingers pressing tenderly into her hair, messaging her scalp. Under the lull of his ministrations, she drifted into a deep slumber.

She woke some time in the night, to find that she had been tucked into bed. She put a head to her forehead, trying to remember. Had it all been a dream? The memory of broken glass came back to her and she peered around her room, looking for remnants and finding none. Slowly, she got out of bed, slightly unsteady in her feet. She walked towards the window and found it latched. The moonlight bathed her face as she looked over the grounds. Nothing amiss. She got back into bed, and was pulling the sheets over herself when she noticed the two fresh puncture wounds on her wrist. She gasped, folding herself into a protective ball. So, it had been real. She frowned, pieces of the night drifting into her memory. The vampire from the alley standing in her room, his eyes pulsing red, his lips meeting her skin, his teeth embedded in her wrist. Through the haze, another memory began to surface. A mark on the left side of his chest. No, not a mark, a word, a name. _Kuran_. She tasted the word on her lips, and she swore her mark pulsed. Her right hand slapped down on her skin, covering her wrist, but she couldn't deny the warmth emitting from her hunter's mark. Deep breaths calmed her, and then she had a thought: what would she tell Zero?

Nothing.

She lay down, curling under the sheets. Something began to seep through her conscious, out of the dark corners of her mind, where things long forgotten lurked. Out of the shadowy depths of her memory came a name, one she had never heard before, but knew all too well: _Kaname Kuran_

Outside, a tall, dark figure stood to the side, peering into her window, before jumping down onto the grounds. His gait was smooth and sure, taking him away from the girl who now bore his mark. He walked into the night, with the promise of tomorrow warming his cold, dead heart.


End file.
